The Giving Back Workload
Volunteering is a good thing for us to do, but it can be overwhelming at times.
Understanding Peer-to-Peer Transactional Replication, Part 3
We've gone through the basics of Peer-to-Peer Transactional Replication (PPTR). Now, we will blow it up! We will then fix it and show you how you how to triage and repair PPTR. When you remain calm and take some easy steps, you can stabilize PPTR with ease.
"Surely this one will get a clustered index scan."
In which SQL Server stubbornly insists on doing key lookups way, way past the tipping point.
Lack of Memory
It seems that many SQL Servers can be lacking memory. Adding more is one way to improve performance, but Steve has other ideas.
Workplace Encounter: Effects of TLS 1.2
In this article we share a recent experience we had with implementing TLS 1.2 ONLY support on our databases and particularly with respect to its effect on Transaction Log Shipping sessions.
SSRS Reporting Basics: When is SSRS the Right Tool?
SSRS has undergone a number of changes over the past few versions. It remains a very popular reporting tool in companies large and small. In this article, Eugene Meidinger recounts the history of SSRS and explains when it’s the best tool to use.
Working with SQL Server Stored Procedures and .NET
Learn how to build a simple .NET application that uses SQL Server stored procedures to retrieve and update data from a database.
Review Minimum SQL Server Security Practices
In this tip we look at different things you should consider when developing your database systems to ensure you are also thinking about security best practices as well.
Generate a SSIS-package that reads from Twitter using Biml
Learn how to use Biml to create a SSIS-package with a Script component that can read from Twitter.
Blogs
Who Are You Doing It For?
By Brian Kelley
But as I've matured over the years, I came to realize that I needed...
Presenting Twice in May 2026
By alevyinroc
I will be presenting my latest session, Documenting Your Work for Worry-Free Vacations, in-person...
Finding the Next Sequence Value: #SQLNewBlogger
By Steve Jones
I saw a question asking about the next sequence value and decided to try...
Forums
DB Design Methods
I've read a few posts regarding what we use to design DB models and...
Auto Update Statistics not triggering on filtered indexes
I've got a table with 186,703,969 rows, about 300GB of data. There are several...
What is the difference between SQL Server and SQL Database?
I created a SQL Database in Azure Portal but I've just noticed it also...
Question of the Day
An Unusual Identity
What values are returned when I run this code?
CREATE TABLE dbo.IdentityTest2
(
id NUMERIC(10,0) IDENTITY(10,10) PRIMARY KEY,
somevalue VARCHAR(20)
)
GO
INSERT dbo.IdentityTest2
(
somevalue
)
VALUES
( 'Steve')
, ('Bill')
GO
SELECT top 10
id
FROM dbo.IdentityTest2 See possible answers